Boredom comes often and easily. But productivity? Well, that can be more of a mixed bag. The good news is that it's not as hard to merge the two as it sounds. All it takes is a little planning and a little discipline. While we can't exactly drillmaster you into doing anything, we can definitely lend a hand with the first bit. So dream big, because good things are coming your way.

Productive Things to Do When Bored

Use it or lose it" is an old adage that doctors like to pepper into warnings regarding muscle atrophy, and that applies to the brain as well. Studies show that learning a musical instrument at age 60 or older can actually halt cognitive decline and memory loss. Other functions, including planning abilities and information processing, also seem to improve with music lessons.

1. Learn a Musical Instrument

Some tasks just feel impossible to accomplish. Or maybe they just seem super dull. Still, sometimes, a boring task is just what you need to interrupt a boring day. Cleaning out your junk drawer is one of those things that no one wants to do, but everyone feels good once it's done. Besides, you never know what missing items you'll find hidden among the clutter.

2. Clean Out Your Junk Drawer

Did you know planning for an event can be just as fun as the actual activity? That's not just an assumption, it's science. Seriously. According to experts, planning for an event can help alleviate anxiety and allows ample room for fantasy—a process that can actually provide more enjoyment than your plans. Besides, date nights are important to maintain connections, communication, and gratitude.

3. Plan for a Date Night

Here's a horrifying fact: The residue left on your make-up brushes won't just tint your face the next time you use them, it can actually contaminate your pores. It's true, uncleaned brushes are known to collect dust, dirt, and bacteria—all of which can wreak havoc on your skin. Fortunately, there are plenty of cleaners around to help you get the job done. You can also just wash them, squeeze out the water, and lay them flat to dry. If boredom isn't enough to motivate you here, the idea of preventing future break-outs just might.

4. Clean Your Makeup Brushes

According to experts, meal prepping can save you lots of time and money. Even if you make too much, you can always freeze the leftovers until you need them next. It also gives you a good excuse to experiment with different recipes and try new culinary techniques.

5. Meal Prep for the Week

DIY projects became big during the initial lockdown. Makes sense too, given we weren't allowed in many places outside of our own home. While things have loosened up in the time since, the trend has managed to stick around. And when you have a whole house to go through, there are lots of different options to pursue. Whether you want to decorate your home decor or fancy up your wall space, the decision is up to you.

6. Run A DIY Project

Putting together a care package for family or friends is a great way to practice a little empathy. It's also a thoughtful way to connect with someone who you haven't seen for a while. While you should curate the basket towards your target's interests, there are plenty of creative ways to put your own personal spin on things.

7. Put Together a Care Package for a Friend or Family Member

The only thing that's better than cooking for sport is cooking for purpose. Across cultures, food is used to share history, heritage, and tradition. Reintroducing plates enjoyed long ago can also help trigger certain memories, allowing individuals to reacquaint themselves with people and places from their past.

8. Try out an Old Family Recipe

Ok, so not everyone is into home cooking. That's ok, there are plenty of ways to enjoy restaurant-grade meals from the comfort of your own kitchen. Lots of establishments have actually made their recipes public. Whether they really want to make their dishes more available or they just think the move will make them look good, it doesn't really matter. What is important is being able to enjoy high-quality meals from home and for a fraction of the price

Yup, we're back to planning. And yes—it's still just as beneficial as it is when it comes to date night. Only this time, there are extra details to obsess over. Placemats? Yes. Cutlery? Most certainly. Themes? A definite maybe. If you've ever fantasized about channeling your inner Julia Child, now's your time.

10. Plan Your Next Dinner Party

Good food is something worth celebrating. But good food and drinks, well that's a pretty stellar combo. And if you just want to enjoy the latter, that's ok, too. Trying out a new cocktail recipe is a great way to liven up an otherwise boring day. Just make sure you've taken care of all your responsibilities beforehand and aren't planning on getting behind the wheel after.

11. Try out a New Cocktail Recipe

If you're going to experiment with sweets, you might want to gather up a few friends. That way, you don't do all the damage alone. Homemade ice cream is not only delicious (fresh and no risk of freezer burn), but it's also relatively easy to make. If you want, you can also do healthy variations. Fruit ice cream is a great homemade alternative to products loaded with dairy and saturated fats.

12. Make Homemade Ice Cream

STAY BUSY WITH THIS CREATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF THINGS TO DO WHEN BORED.

Stay busy with our list of things to do when bored. We've got cooking activities, creative pursuits, outdoor adventures, and much more!

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

problemsolving

Problem Solving

timemanagement

Time Management

Things to Do When Bored (According to Science)!

A study showed that the average person has more than 6000 thoughts every day. That is approximately 4 thoughts every minute, or 1 thought every 15 seconds. Despite having thousands of thoughts every day, we hardly could claim ourselves to be deeply creative and innovative. In this stash, I will share 3 unintuitive ideas to challenge your thinking and encourage you to think outside the box.

When intuition fails, how would you react?

Indeed, it is the quality of our thoughts that counts — not the quantity.

Known as the Mpemba effect, the phenomenon that hot water freezes faster than cold water was named after Erasto Mpemba.

Idea #1: Hot water turns to ice faster than cold water (Science)

<ul><li>In 1963 when Erasto was a student at Magamba Secondary School, he wanted to sell ice cream to earn some pocket money. </li><li>In the urgency to prepare the ice cream quickly, he skipped the cooling phase of the preparation and placed the hot milk mixture directly into the freezer. </li><li>To his surprise, he observed that his hot milk mixture froze faster than his classmates’ cooled milk mixture. </li><li>The observation ultimately spun into a research paper and was termed the Mpemba effect.</li></ul>

The Story

<ul><li>Logically speaking, it makes sense that cold water freezes faster than hot water since it can skip the cooling process that the hot water needs to undergo. </li><li>With this logic in mind, the Mpemba effect seems highly unintuitive. </li><li>Indeed, this phenomenon has caused significant controversy in the scientific community. </li><li>Although some very reputable scientific bodies have debunked this theory, the validity of this effect is still largely disputed, with some attributing the strange phenomenon being observed due to impurities in the mixture.</li></ul>

The Controversy

If you’re a chemist, you may feel underwhelmed or disappointed by this idea. “Isn’t this just a failed experiment then?”. If you took some time to explore the controversy online, however, you may discover a treasure trove of interesting theories proposed by science fanatics that tries to prove this phenomenon right.

The Takeaway

What is the average age of 3 boys aged 10, 15, and 20? Well, you can simply add all their ages up 10 + 15 + 20 = 45 and divide it by 3 — giving you the answer of 15.

Idea #2: More than one average (Math)

You have 3 types of storybooks — Book A, Book B, and Book C — of varying quantities. You need to find the average number of words in the storybooks. <ul><li>Each Book A has an average of 100 words/book (quantity = 5, total words = 500) </li><li>Each Book B has an average of 200 words/book (quantity = 10, total words = 2000) </li><li>Each Book C has an average of 500 words/book (quantity = 15, total words = 7500) </li><li>The total number of words is 500 + 2000 + 7500 = 10000 </li><li>The total number of books is 5 + 10 + 15 = 30</li></ul>

Now, imagine this weird, complicated scenario:

Here are your TWO options: <ul><li>Get the average of the averages (i.e. average of the sum of averages in Book A, B, and C). (100 + 200 + 500) / 3 = ~267 words per book </li><li>Get the average by dividing the total number of words by the total number of books. 10,000 / 30 = ~333 words per book </li></ul>Even if you’re not a mathematician, you may be inclined to pick the 2nd option. Perhaps surprisingly to some, both approaches are actually correct.

How would you find the average num of words in the storybooks?

<ul><li>The term ‘average of the averages’ is often frowned upon by mathematicians. </li><li>However, in this case, the term ‘average of the averages’ is merely a disguise. The calculation of the ‘average of the averages’ actually leads to the calculation of Simple Average, a perfectly valid way of calculating the average. </li><li>Not to get too math-y here, simple average merely means that you’re taking the average of a particular dataset without considering the weight (or in this case, the quantity) of each item group.</li></ul>

The Reason  Method 1 — ‘average of the averages’

<ul><li>This is the classic ‘weighted average’ approach and is likely what most people use to calculate averages. </li><li>This kind of average takes into consideration the weight (or quantity) of each item group.</li></ul>

The Reason Method 2 total words / total number of books

Both averages are perfectly valid and one may be more suitable than the other depending on the context. Surprised? Well… the learning point here isn’t about math.It’s about realizing how we could adopt a shift in perspective and still derive the right answer.

Both Approaches Are Valid

Are you more likely to receive help in a room with 3 people, or a room with 30 people? The answer may be surprising to some.

Idea #3: The Bystander Effect (Psychology)

<ul><li>The probability that a person in distress will be helped by a bystander is inversely proportional to the number of bystanders present. </li><li>To put it simply, this means the more bystanders are present, the less likely someone in distress will receive help.</li></ul>

According to the Bystander Effec

<ul><li>This strange paradox of human behavior was first formulated by psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latané. </li><li>This social psychological theory was first prompted by a dark incident where it was wrongly reported that 38 bystanders watched passively during an attack on a victim. </li><li>The theory is then demonstrated and popularized in 1968 and many social scientists soon launch a series of experiments to test the theory. </li><li>Today, this theory is widely established and taught in many Psychology classes.</li></ul>

Background of The Bystander Effect

Diffusion of Responsibility<ul><li>“Someone else will do it” (i.e. someone else will help the person in distress) </li><li>In this case, the presence of others makes individuals feel less responsible to take action. </li><li>Here, the responsibility is thought to be shared among those who are present. </li></ul>Social Influence<ul><li>“I will monitor how others act before I do anything” </li><li>As humans, we tend to subconsciously adjust our behaviors to fit our current environment. </li><li>In this case, when those around us fail to react to the person in distress, we often take that as a signal that nothing is wrong.</li></ul>

Two Major Factors causing the Bystander Effect

Both diffusion of responsibility and social influence makes it less likely for a person to receive help in a room with 3 people than in a room with 30 people. The Bystander Effect, a counter-intuitive theory that the more people are present, the less likely you’ll receive help, is yet another idea that challenges conventional logic.

Strange Paradox of an Idea

That’s it! Do you feel weird, surprised, ambivalent, or even confused? If you did, then I’m glad that I have sparked some thoughts in your mind. Recap of Our 3 Counter-Intuitive Ideas <ul><li>Idea #1 — Hot water turns to ice faster than cold water (Science) </li><li>Idea #2 — More than one average (Math) </li><li>Idea #3 — The Bystander Effect (Psychology) </li></ul>I hope you have experienced some level of paradigm shift through learning about these thought-provoking ideas from numerous disciplines. Keep learning. Keep thinking. Keep improving. I’ll catch you in the next stash. Cheers!

Summary

A study showed that the average person has more than 6000 thoughts every day. That is approximately 4 thoughts every minute, or 1 thought every 15 seconds. Despite having thousands of thoughts every…

3 Counter-Intuitive Ideas To Challenge Your Thinking

A growing body of research shows that certain foods have the nutritional makeup to help maintain mental sharpness.Food is one of the most important levers we can pull when it comes to brain health. Some foods have the compounds to help keep your brain performing well, while others lack any of the nutrition to bolster mental health. And you might be surprised by some of the edibles that can help turn back your brain’s clock and improve your state of mind. Here’s your cheat sheet for the foods (and one drink) that you should remember to add to your grocery list to help support your noodle.

Food May Impact Our Mental

These inexpensive canned fish are one of the best sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in the supermarket, which <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32846900/">some research </a> suggests may help slow age-related cognitive decline. An <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30567286/">investigation in the journal Nutrients </a>involving 6,587 adults found that fatty fish consumption, which includes sardines and salmon, and moderate marine-sourced omega-3 fat intake was associated with less prevalence of <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/guide/symptoms/">depression symptoms </a>. And a <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1535">study published in July 2021 in The BMJ </a>discovered that higher omega-3 intake is tied to fewer, less severe headaches in those who suffer from these headaches.

Canned Sardines

Could tossing strawberries on your oatmeal or yogurt or blitzing them into your smoothies help protect your brain from Alzheimer’s? Maybe so, say researchers at RUSH University. Their <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad215600">research, published in July 2022 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease </a>, discovered that a compound abundant in strawberries  (more so than other common <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/amazing-health-benefits-of-berries.aspx">berries </a>) called pelargonidin may be associated with fewer neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain. This is important since abnormal changes in tau proteins in the brain are considered one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The study authors believe that the anti-inflammatory properties of pelargonidin may decrease overall neuroinflammation, which can help keep these tau proteins from getting misfolded, and thus allow for improved transport of nutrients and other important substances from one part of brain nerve cells to another. We should also remember that strawberries and other fruit can be a daily source of water to help with maintaining better hydration. Letting yourself get dehydrated might lead to an acute impairment in mental functioning including working memory and executive function, according to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29277553/">past research </a>.

What’s more, black lentils, like all legumes, are an excellent source of dietary fiber. Most people fail to get the fiber they need each day — 28 grams per day for adults on a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-new-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels">U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) </a> — and this shortfall could be jeopardizing long-term brain functioning. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1028415X.2022.2027592">study published in February 2022 in Nutritional Neuroscience </a>found that among adults aged 40 to 64 a high-fiber diet may reduce the risk of suffering from disabling dementia. The link was especially evident for <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/ibs/soluble-vs-insoluble-fiber-for-ibs.aspx">soluble fiber </a>, which is found in lentils.

Black Lentil

When it comes to our brains, choline is a nutrient you certainly don’t want to skimp on. “Choline is a building block for a special category of fats called phospholipids found in cell membranes and the nerve chemical <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/acetylcholine/guide/">acetylcholine </a>, which regulates memory,” says Somer. “In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by an underproduction of acetylcholine,” she adds. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/110/6/1416/5540729">Findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition </a>suggest that a greater dietary intake of phosphatidylcholine, a form of choline, is linked to a lower risk for dementia and enhanced cognitive performance. And if you are a mom-to-be you want to make sure to get sufficient amounts of choline, since <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29217669/">evidence </a> suggests it can benefit infant brain development.  Somer stresses that although the body manufactures choline with the help of other nutrients, such as <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/folic-acid">folic acid </a>and vitamin B12, sometimes it doesn’t produce enough to maintain normal brain function. That’s where eggs can lend a big assist. According to the <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/">National Institutes of Health (NIH) </a>, eggs, more specifically the yolks, are just about the richest source of choline in the supermarket, second only to beef liver. A single egg delivers about 30 percent of the daily requirement for brain-benefiting choline. The key source of phosphatidylcholine in the diets of participants of the aforementioned study were eggs. And people who regularly eat eggs typically take in twice the amount of choline as those who don’t consume eggs, per a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/8/839">study in the journal Nutrients </a>.

Spinach is especially high in carotenoid antioxidants including beta-carotene and lutein, which a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/150/7/1871/5835211?login=true">study published in 2020 in the Journal of Nutrition </a>found can lower the odds of moderate or poor cognitive function in women as they age. In supporting research, one <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00183/full">study in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience </a>found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein had neural responses that were more on par with younger individuals.

Spinach

All vegetables are good for you, but Popeye’s favorite green is one of the top choices to help protect your noggin and keep it sharp. Why? Spinach is especially high in carotenoid antioxidants including beta-carotene and lutein, which a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/150/7/1871/5835211?login=true">study published in 2020 in the Journal of Nutrition </a>found can lower the odds of moderate or poor cognitive function in women as they age. In supporting research, one <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00183/full">study in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience </a>found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein had neural responses that were more on par with younger individuals. But don’t think you c<warningtag>an just load up on carotenoids occasionally and expect to keep your brain in tip-top shape. Intakes of these plant compounds found in colorful veggies including leafy greens, bell peppers, sweet potato, and tomatoes need to remain consistently high for several years to have a benefit. </warningtag><warningtag>Part of the mechanism might be how these antioxidant carotenoids help fend off age-accelerating oxidative damage to brain cells. “A greater intake of carotenoids is also a marker that a person is eating an overall whole-foods nutrient-dense diet that is crucial to support brain health,” adds Kaplan. “This is why we are told to eat the rainbow; carotenoids are the yellow, orange and red pigments found in many fruits and vegetables.”</warningtag>

Produced when whole soybeans are soaked, cooked, left to ferment with a fungus, and then pressed into a firm, dense patty, tempeh delivers 20 grams of brain-benefiting protein in a 3-ounce serving, per <a href="https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174272/nutrients">USDA data </a>. It’s also a reliable source of iron. Another <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/85/3/778/4633060">study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition </a>, found that women with healthy iron levels performed better on mental tasks and completed them faster than did those with poor iron status. Iron helps transport oxygen throughout the body including to the brain which needs oxygen to function properly.

Tempeh

People who ate avocado daily for six months saw a significant boost in working memory and problem-solving efficiency, a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/9/919">study in the journal Nutrients </a>found. The investigators attributed the benefit to the high bioavailable levels of the antioxidant lutein in the creamy fruit, which, after eating, is incorporated into our brains. “Every cell in our body, including in the brain, has mitochondria, which function to produce ATP, the energy molecule, and one of the main functions of ATP is to tamp down excessive inflammation,” says Kaplan.

Avocado

Green tea and matcha supply a unique amino acid called L-theanine, which at higher intakes may be associated with cognitive improvements, including better performance on memory tasks, as <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jmf.2020.4803">reported in the Journal of Medicinal Food </a>. But if you can get enough L-theanine from your matcha latte to have a noticeable cognitive benefit long-term is not known. Kaplan does mention that there is some research to suggest that <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/amino-acids/guide/">amino acids </a>such as L-theanine, found in green tea, can also have a supportive role in reducing bouts of anxiety.

Matcha

Research shows that what you eat can slash your risk for diseases like dementia and keep your brain healthy as you age. These are the foods to focus on for memory and more.

food

Food

mentalhealth

Mental Health

The 8 Best Foods for a Healthy Brain

The common way to talk about happiness is as a single scale: unhappy at one end, neutral in the middle, happy at the other end.That model is wrong.Instead, happiness and unhappiness are two separate, independent scales.A good life requires tackling each one separately.

Happiness and unhappiness are two separate, independent variable

This dramatically changes how you deal with various life-problems. If someone (including yourself) is struggling with low well-being, it's important to ascertain which of two problems are happening: <ul><li>not enough happiness </li><li>too much unhappiness </li> </ul>

Not Enough Happiness Vs Too Much Unhappiness

If someone has a lot of unhappiness, they need to get rid of some negative influence in their life. If they don't have enough happiness, they need to add something positive to their life.

Get Rid Of Unhappy InfluencesAdd Positive Things

First, you can have any combination of happiness and unhappiness. For example, you can be very happy and very unhappy at once (e.g. for people who are running stressful but autonomous projects)Equally, you can feel not-at-all-happy but also not-at-all-unhappy. It's a strange kind of feeling, and very distinct from (say) "moderately happy and also slightly unhappy", or "very happy and also very unhappy (this is called anhedonia

Any Combination Of (Un)happiness Exists

Second, a lot of the best changes in your life can end up feeling weirdly neutral in the longer-term: they get rid of something really negative, but the lack-of-negative doesn't actually create a positive, and over time you forget what it was like to live with the negative every day. Removing unhappiness doesn't actually increase happiness, it just.... removes unhappiness, which is good but unrelated.

Removing Unhappiness Doesn't Add Happiness

The common way to talk about happiness is as a single scale: unhappy at one end, neutral in the middle, happy at the other end. I think that model is wrong.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Happiness Is Two Scales

Ikigai is a Japanese word that means your reason to get out of bed each morning. Simply put, It means your life goal that motivates you everyday.Everybody has an Ikigai. But it may be hard to find it.

IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life

Centenarians are exceptional people who cross the age of 100. They achieve this feat by maintaining a healthy and mentally happy lifestyle.

Get Inspired From Centenarians 

People in Okinawa live a simple, social and busy lifestyle. They grow up and live in a healthy environment and have thier own secrets for living long. Actually, they don't try hard. They just Laugh, Work, Eat, Sleep and Repeat.

Okinawa: The Magical Centenarian Island

• Laughter is truly the best medicine.• Simple Exercises can do wonders.• Work Hard and keep yourself busy.• Maintain a strong Social Circle.

Tips From Okinawans

Hara Hachi Bu means to fill only 80% of your stomach. It means that you should only eat until you start feeling full. It is a very good way to maintain your weight as well as live a healthy lifestyle.But it is also important to have a balanced diet.

'Hara Hachi Bu' Is What You Should Do

Working hard is very important for Okinawans. Most Okinawans wake up early and go to work at farms to work. They don't actually 'retire' and work till they can. ( In fact, there is no word in Japanese that actually means to retire! That is so amazing! )

Remember To Work Hard

Los Angeles Times bestseller • More than 1.5 million copies sold “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes *And from the same authors, don’t miss The Book of Ichigo Ichie—about making the most of every moment in your life.* * * * Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) and bring meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day? A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

books

Books

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1.5 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider   “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb   According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?

Hector Garcia was born in Spain in 1981 and has been living in Tokyo since 2004. During his spare time he writes aGeekinJapan.com, one of the most widely-read blogs in the world in Spanish and in English, as well as books about his experiences in Japan. He is the author of the bestsellers: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and A Geek in Japan. You can find more of Hector's musings at ageekinjapan.com

Héctor García

Francesc Miralles Contijoch is a Catalan writer, essayist, translator, and musician.

Francesc Miralles

Ikigai

<ul>
<li>Create a morning ritual</li>
<li>Having a to-do list first thing in the morning will keep you motivated and energized throughout the day</li>
<li>Follow the 80/20 rule</li>
<li>20% of tasks produce 80% of results</li>
<li>Learn to single-task</li>
<li>There's nothing wrong with multi-tasking once in a while, but doing it continuously will break your focus going forward</li>
<li>Be grateful for what you have so far</li>
<li>Do a social media detox</li>
<li>Exercise often</li>
<li>Set aside at least 15-30 minutes a day to exercise</li>
<li>Invest in self-care</li>
<li>Read books</li>
<li>Create social connections with positive people</li>
<li>Have a minimal impact on your health and prioritize nutrition and nutritionism</li>
</ul>

10 POSITIVE HABITS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE FOREVER.

Read a one minute summary of 10 POSITIVE HABITS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE FOREVER

productivity

Productivity

10 Positive Habits That (Almost) Known by Everyone but Sometimes We Neglect

Key takeaways There are various laws of linguistics; for example, famous words are shorter than less popular words. These laws apply not only to human language but also to animal communication. But the most surprising thing is that these rules appear almost everywhere, from species distribution and size to disease outbreaks, to protein structure.

UNKNOWN LAWS OF LANGUAGE THAT APPLY THROUGHOUT LIFE

For example, shorter words are used in different languages more often than longer ones. Biologists have noticed this, and many have wondered whether these linguistic laws apply to biological phenomena. Indeed, a new review published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution discusses their findings in detail.

Linguists have long known that human speech seems to be governed

The first linguistic rule concerns the frequency of a language's most frequently used words. This is known as Zipf's rank-frequency law and holds that the relative frequency of a word is inversely proportional to its frequency rank. In other words, the most frequently used word will be twice as often as the second most commonly used word, three times as often as the third most frequently used word, and so on. For example, the most common word in English is seven percent of all the words we use. The next most common is about 3.5 percent.

Formula 1: twice the size of the nearest rival 

The second linguistic rule we can apply to life is Zipf's law of abbreviation, which describes the tendency for more commonly used words to become shorter. This applies to hundreds of different and unrelated languages, including sign language. In English, the seven most common words are three letters or less, and there are only two words in the top 100 (people and therefore) that have more than five letters. The words we use most often are short and to the point.

Pattern 2: more minor things are more common

Communication between birds and mammals tends to be short. Indeed, it can be seen in the songs of black-headed tits, the duration of the calls of Formosa macaws, the vocalizations of the indri, the timing of chimpanzees' gestures, and the length of surface behavioral patterns in dolphins. Humans are not the only ones who want their language to be effective.

This is also a law evident throughout nature

Take a sentence such as this one, with all its words, long and short, joined together, punctuated by commas, sunk into each other to reach the final (and breathtaking) finale. It should be noted that although a sentence is long, it is divided into relatively small sentences. This is known as Menzerath's law, in which there is a negative relationship between the size of the whole and the size of the parts. This can be seen not only in sentence construction; the law applies to short phonemes and syllables found in long words.

Part 3: the longer something is, the shorter its composite parts

Although the article focuses mainly on these three laws, it points to others that can still be found (those that are so far under-researched and understudied). For example, Herdan's law (the correlation between the number of unique words and text length) is evident in the proteomes of many organisms, and Zipf's law of meaning frequency (in which more common words have more meanings) is evident in primates. Gestures.

Linguistic laws in biology and beyond 

The sheer scale of application and versatility of these laws is remarkable. The laws discovered in linguistics have applications in ecology, microbiology, epidemiology, demography, and geography.


Mini Philosophy: A Small Book of Big Ideas eBook : Thomson, Jonny: Amazon.co.uk: Books

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Marketing & Sales

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Money & Investments

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Communication

Are you part of 85% of people who feel tired every day?This is due to a lack of energy. Low energy can lead to:<ul><li>Depression</li><li>Poor Health</li><li>Weight Gain</li><li>Lack of Focus</li><li>Impaired Memory</li><li>High Stress Levels</li></ul>So how do you raise your energy levels? Here are 4 easy tips to fix your fatigue.

Introduction 

Sleep has 5 cycles:a. Wake/Alertb. N1 (Light Sleep)c. N2 (Deeper Sleep)d. N3 (Deepese Non-REM sleep)5. REM (Rapid Eye Movement)Each one is 90 minutes on average.This is crucial for maintaining your memory, energy and body recovery.

1. Fix your sleep cycle

Use 1–2–3 routine for bed: <ul><li>Avoid phone screens 1 hour before bed</li><li>Avoid stimulating work 2 hours before bed</li><li>Avoid eating 3 hours before bed</li></ul>This puts your mind in a relaxed state and allows you to fall asleep easily.

Here’s how you can improve your sleep

Your energy is influenced by your circadian rhythm. This rhythm is influenced by melatonin (a hormone). Your melatonin is affected by your light exposure.More light = Less Melatonin = Easier to stay awakeLess light = More Melatonin = Easier to sleep

2. Fix your rhythm

Want to fix your melatonin production and sleep easier?Avoid artificial light 1 hour before bed.The blue light from electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones or TV decreases the production of melatonin.If it’s unavoidable, use blue-light-blocking glasses.

We all know that caffeine helps you stay awake.But very few of us know that caffeine stays in your system for up to 10 hours!So, if you have coffee at 1 pm, you can still feel it at 11 pm.This not only affects your sleep quantity and quality. Cut caffeine 10 hours before bed.

3. Fix your caffeine use

Many think they need the energy to exercise. But the truth is they need to exercise to have energy.Aim for 20 mins of physical exercise, 3 times a week.Go on walks regularly, meditate or do yoga/stretching. Just do whatever activity excites you. But don’t be lazy.

4. Fix your physiology

This is crucial for maintaining your memory, energy and body recovery. Here’s how you can improve your sleep Your energy is influenced by your circadian rhythm. This rhythm is influenced by melatonin…

Do You Feel Tired Every day? Try These 4 Easy Tips

In order to live a long and active life, you must keep up with your flexibility and mobility, in addition to preserving your joint health. The goal is to ensure you stay pain-free and injury-free while continuing to improve your athletic performance and maintain muscle mass. So without further delay, let's chat about these secret exercise tricks that slow down aging, keep you active, and help extend your life. Keep reading to learn more.

The Goal Is ......

Besides lifting heavier and performing more reps, you can also rotate in different training phases. For instance, you can go through a four to eight-week series that focuses on improving your strength, followed by four weeks of power training (plyometrics), and then four weeks of higher rep work. Having separate blocks and phases allows you to focus on different facets of your fitness, which will carry over to other activities and improve your performance and overall quality of life.

Incorporate different training phases into your fitness rotation.

A secret exercise trick to improve your quality of life is incorporating Dead Hangs into your regimen. Hanging onto a pullup bar can help decompress your spine, improve your shoulder flexibility, stretch out tight lats, and increase grip and core strength. Test your grip strength by seeing how long you can hang onto the bar, then slowly increase your time under the bar. Eventually, with enough practice, you'll be able to perform this exercise for at least two minutes.

Add in Dead Hangs.

In strength training, supersets consist of performing two exercises back to back. The most common superset mixes a lower-body movement with an upper-body exercise. You can also choose exercises that target opposing muscle groups, such as your pushing and pulling muscles. When performing supersets, you're targeting more muscle groups in your body. This allows you to recruit muscle fibers and increase your heart rate and calorie burn. In addition, you're enhancing your anaerobic conditioning, which helps improve your overall fitness and quality of life.

Incorporate supersets.

Begin the Dumbbell Deadlift by placing a dumbbell in front of you with your feet outside of your shoulders. Keep your chest tall and core tight, squat down, and grab the dumbbell. Drive through your heels and hips to come back up, flexing your glutes and quads to finish. Place the dumbbell back down to the starting position before performing another rep. Complete 10 reps.

Dumbbell Deadlift

Start your Lat Pulldowns by gripping the lat pulldown bar with your palms facing away from you just outside your shoulders. Lean back slightly, and pull the bar down toward your sternum with your elbows, squeezing your lats at the very bottom of the movement. Resist on the way back up, maintaining tension in your lats. Get a solid stretch at the top of the movement by letting your shoulder blades come up before performing another rep. Perform 10 reps.

Lat Pulldowns

We all do workout, but do we know some tips that have a very nice positive impact on aging?

We've put together some secret exercise tricks to slow down aging and live longer that should be on your radar.

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Exercise & Fitness

Secret Exercise Tricks To Slow Down Aging and Live Longer

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Perceive your work-related stress as positive and useful way.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Reduce stress and promote greater well-being (mindfulness meditation).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Be aware of your breathing and calming down.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Befriend” your own awareness.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Begin to see yourself as larger than your problems and emotions. You can also alter your relationship to time.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Being truly present is a timeless moment. Notice how much you distract yourself and allow yourself to be distracted. Instead, ask, “What is most important now?”</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Then you can redirect your attention to that. It may be the people in your life.</li></ul>

Full Catastrophe Living

Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

A guide to awareness meditation methods offers a program for coping with illnesses as well as everyday stress.

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Mindfulness

The landmark work on mindfulness, meditation, and healing, now revised and updated after twenty-five years   Stress. It can sap our energy, undermine  our health if we let it, even shorten our lives. It makes us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, disconnection and disease. Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this classic, groundbreaking work—which gave rise to a whole new field in medicine and psychology—shows you how to use medically proven mind-body approaches derived from meditation and yoga to counteract stress, establish greater balance of body and mind, and stimulate well-being and healing. By engaging in these mindfulness practices and integrating them into your life from moment to moment and from day to day, you can learn to manage chronic pain, promote optimal healing, reduce anxiety and feelings of panic, and improve the overall quality of your life, relationships, and social networks. This second edition features results from recent studies on the science of mindfulness, a new Introduction, up-to-date statistics, and an extensive updated reading list. Full Catastrophe Living is a book for the young and the old, the well and the ill, and anyone trying to live a healthier and saner life in our fast-paced world.   Praise for Full Catastrophe Living   “To say that this wise, deep book is helpful to those who face the challenges of human crisis would be a vast understatement. It is essential, unique, and, above all, fundamentally healing.”—Donald M. Berwick, M.D., president emeritus and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement   “One of the great classics of mind/body medicine.”—Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom   “A book for everyone . . . Jon Kabat-Zinn has done more than any other person on the planet to spread the power of mindfulness to the lives of ordinary people and major societal institutions.”—Richard J. Davidson, founder and chair, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison   “This is the ultimate owner’s manual for our lives. What a gift!”—Amy Gross, former editor in chief, O: The Oprah Magazine   “I first read Full Catastrophe Living in my early twenties and it changed my life.”—Chade-Meng Tan, Jolly Good Fellow of Google and author of Search Inside Yourself   “Jon Kabat-Zinn’s classic work on the practice of mindfulness to alleviate stress and human suffering stands the test of time, a most useful resource and practical guide. I recommend this new edition enthusiastically to doctors, patients, and anyone interested in learning to use the power of focused awareness to meet life’s challenges, whether great or small.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health   “How wonderful to have a new and updated version of this classic book that invited so many of us down a path that transformed our minds and awakened us to the beauty of each moment, day-by-day, through our lives. This second edition, building on the first, is sure to become a treasured sourcebook and traveling companion for new generations who seek the wisdom to live full and fulfilling lives.”—Diana Chapman Walsh, Ph.D., president emerita of Wellesley College

Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition)

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